


If Not In One Life, Then Maybe In the Next

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Reality, Fix It Fic, Keith goes realtiy jumping, M/M, Post Season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-09-30 23:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: During the final battle against Honerva when they traveled through multiple universes, Keith caught a glimpse of a possible future with Shiro. And when his own universe didn't stack up to what he wanted it to be, he decided to leave his universe and find the one where he could truly be happy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this this afternoon after finishing season 8 and kind of like Keith in this fic, caught a glimpse of something sweet and pure. This is going to have a bit more to it, but I wanted to get this first part posted tonight. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith saw the expansive universes they’d passed through during their final confrontation with Honerva nearly every night in his dreams. Most of the other Paladins had been completely focused on the battle at hand and while he would’ve liked to claim the same, he’d glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but be drawn in by it.

It was ethereal like a memory, and a little fuzzy around the edges. He was with Shiro. They were together and happy and laughing and encompassing everything he wanted in life. He hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but once the fighting was over and they’d returned to their universe without Allura, he suspected it might be a glimpse of his future.

He’d loved Shiro for years and hadn’t been willing to broach the subject of his feelings. There was never a good time, so he tried to support him in everything he did when it came to the Kerberos mission when he was still dating Adam. And then he’d been focused on finding Shiro and once they were reunited, he wanted Shiro to have enough space to heal and get better.

And then there was the war and he could never give voice to his feelings when there were so many more important things that needed their attention.

But now he knew better.

Now, Keith had to sit on the sidelines while he worked with the Galra and the Blade to better the universe and help the coalition. He rarely heard things from Shiro that didn’t involve their work with bettering the universe; and the few times they saw each other in person at official events, Keith was stayed by the sight of a new man at Shiro’s side.

His mind wandered back to what he saw while they passed through so many different universes and it took a while before he realized he’d been staring at a different universe where he and Shiro were together, rather than his own future in his original universe.

It wasn’t long after that he reached the point where he couldn’t take it anymore. Thankfully, Krolia understood. She was the only one he could really tell about his plans to leave, and he instructed her that if the other Paladins came looking, she could explain his recent disappearance. They hadn’t gotten as much time together as Keith would’ve hoped, but she wasn’t willing to let him stay where he’d be miserable simply so they could be together, and she urged him to go where he needed to be.

“I love you, Keith,” Krolia murmured, kissing him on the top of his head.

He sighed, eyes wet as he looked up at her. “I’m sorry to be leaving you like this.”

She shook her head. “This is what you need, and I would be a terrible mother if I didn’t support you in this. Just promise me one thing.”

He nodded. “Anything, Mom.”

She smiled, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. “Stay safe and be happy. And if you’re not happy, try to find where you belong.”

“That’s why I’m leaving,” he said with a sigh.

She nodded and pulled him into one last crushing hug. “Travel safe. And get going. You deserve to finally have something for yourself.”

Keith stepped back and caught her hand, giving it one last squeeze before he turned towards the waiting ship. Wolf walked next to him and they strode up the ramp without looking back. It had taken months to build a ship strong enough to jump from one universe to the next, but the recent advancements Pidge had been making were more than enough to get him where he needed to be.

He settled into the pilot seat and booted up the systems, finding comfort in the familiar hum of a ship underneath him. “I’m coming, Shiro,” he murmured as he directed the ship to rise from the ground and enter the atmosphere for the wide expanse of space. “Wait for me, please.”

Once he was safely out of range of the planet where he wouldn’t be affected by its gravity. He activated the power systems that would create the gate that would lead him from one universe to the next. It wouldn’t be a perfect transition, but it wouldn’t cause any universes to collapse as Honerva had caused on her mission.

A swirling expanse of blue light shone in front of him. It reminded him of the wormholes that he was so used to travelling through. He just hoped this would be the last one that he’d have to go through before he found where he belonged.

Keith squeezed his eyes shut and gunned the thrusters, shooting forward and into the expanse of light, leaving his universe behind. He squinted and blinked, drawing in a sharp gasp as he passed what seemed to resemble little tubes or portals leading to the other universes.

He saw a glimpse of himself in each one that he passed, and he tried not to think too hard as he passed them, not willing to consider how many different ways his life could’ve turned out.

Keith jerked the handles when he saw a familiar landscape. His heart beat in his chest and Wolf whined next to him at the sudden change in his mood, but he couldn’t let this pass him by. Not when he’d spent so much time dreaming about it.

Light flashed around him as he entered the portal. The ship shook and shuddered under his hands and he fought to keep it in check until he reached his destination and the future that would hopefully be waiting for him.

“Come on, come on. Don’t break on me now. We’re almost there,” he chanted under his breath.

A high whistling sounded before a red light flashed on the screen in front of him. One of his wings was shaking dangerously and close to breaking off from the forces pulling at him. He tried to pull back and slow down to maintain the integrity of the ship, but the controls jerked in his hands, forcing him to keep his current speed and direction.

The sound of ripping and tearing metal screamed in his ears. More alarms flashed, warning lights and sounds filling his ears. Wolf crowded him, his ears flattening against his head. Images flashed faster and faster and Keith felt like he was being given a complete slideshow of a person’s life, of his life.

He abandoned the controls completely and wrapped his arms around Wolf’s neck, watching as they broke through another portal and hurtled towards rocky terrain.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as he tightened his hold on Wolf.

The familiar tingling of teleportation encircled his body and a second later, warm air and light kissed his skin. His legs jarred against the rough earth he was suddenly standing on and he stumbled backwards, unable to keep his hold on Wolf. He crashed into the dirt and coughed as the air was forced out of his lungs.

An explosion rumbled the air and Keith covered his ears, a new wave of heat washing over him. Fur tickled his face and he fought to catch his breath. He forced his eyes open and glimpsed the fiery wreckage of his ship several feet away.

Wolf licked his face and Keith smiled, running a hand through his fur.

“Thanks, boy.”

Wolf yipped and stepped back, watching him with keen eyes.

Keith struggled to get to his feet, feeling his muscles twinge with an early ache that would settle in later. He hoped this was the right universe or he’d be stuck without a way to get home. Or at the very least, he’d have to scrounge for a new ship while dodging probing questions from all sides.

He turned in a circle and found a familiar desert landscape around him.

“I hope I still have a house out here,” he muttered with a sigh. He’d have a long walk ahead of him.

He expected he wouldn’t encounter anyone unless he found a house or the edge of a town or city, but while the wreckage of his ship was still visible on the horizon, he caught sight of a hoverbike speeding over the sand towards him.

Keith squinted against the glare from the sun but was unable to discern who was coming towards him. He slowed to a stop and waited, letting the figure approach and hoping it wouldn’t be a hostile party.

The pilot stopped short, jerking the bike to the side and causing a cloud of dust to billow to the side around Keith. Keith coughed against the sand and looked up at the figure as they slowly lowered their hoverbike and stepped off. They reached up and pulled their helmet off with what looked like shaking hands.

Keith blinked when he met Shiro’s wide eyes once the helmet was out of the way.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, voice shaking. “Keith is that really you?” He dropped his helmet to the sand and stepped towards him.

Keith instinctively stepped back and hated himself at the flash of hurt in Shiro’s gaze. He knew this was what he’d come for, but he still refused to get his hopes up. Especially if Shiro didn’t really want him. Shiro would never in a million years be with him in his original universe and he was wary of every other Shiro he could encounter in case the outcome was the same.

“I don’t know how you’re back,” Shiro continued. “I-I watched you die. And I’ve been so empty without you since you’ve been gone. I haven’t known what to do. I don’t know how to move on. Please tell me it’s really you. Please it has to be. Don’t leave me again. You can’t leave me again.”

Keith dropped his gaze, unable to look at the unbridled hope Shiro was gazing at him with. He hunched his shoulders, knowing what he was about to say would break everything he’d come for, but the one thing he couldn’t bring himself to do would be to lie to Shiro about who he was.

“I’m not your Keith, Shiro,” he sighed. “I come from a different universe. I’m not the person you remember.”

“But you’re still Keith,” Shiro insisted.

Keith jerked backwards when a warm hand landed on his cheek. He quickly put distance between them. He had to make Shiro understand what he was getting before he accepted so easily. Wolf appeared at his side, leaning against him to offer comfort.

“Didn’t you hear me, Shiro?” he pleaded. “I’m not the person you knew. I’m someone completely different.” Despair tightened his chest and he regretted ever thinking it was a good idea to come to this universe. “It was stupid of me to come here. The only reason I did was because I was hopelessly in love with you in my own universe and I couldn’t bear to see you with someone else.”

“You love me?” Shiro choked.

Keith’s face twisted into something ugly. He forced his features to relax and glanced up at Shiro who was staring at him with that same hopeful expression. Keith sighed and nodded.

“I’ve been in love with you since forever,” Shiro said, voice serious the way it only gets when he’s completely dedicated to something. “I wanted to tell you for so long, but I was afraid of what you’d say. And then I watched you die, and my world crumbled around me. Everything seemed darker than it used to. I struggled to live without you in the world. I always wanted to give you everything, but I never had the chance.”

Keith swallowed and opened his stupid mouth. “I don’t belong here.” Even now, he was still adamant about crushing his own happiness like he had to convince Shiro to abandon him when he always seemed to do it so easily.

“Then why are you still here?” Shiro asked, taking a step forward.

Keith swallowed. And swallowed again when the lump in his throat refused to disappear. Pressure built behind his eyes. “I don’t know if you noticed, but my ship is kind of destroyed and I can’t leave.”

“Stay with me, Keith,” Shiro pleaded, cupping his cheek with his human hand. He rubbed the rough pad of his thumb over the skin, catching the tears that started to streak down his cheeks. “I want to give you everything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“We’re strangers,” Keith argued, trying to find one last shred of something to convince himself this was a bad idea and that he made the worst mistake of his life by travelling to a universe he knew nothing about.

“Then that’ll make life with you even more interesting as I learn all the new things about you,” Shiro whispered, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he grinned down at him.

Keith opened his mouth to try and formulate one last argument, but quickly gave up. He was tired. He was tired of feeling like his heart was being ripped out every time he saw Shiro with someone else. He was tired of trampling on his own happiness to put other people first and make sure they had everything they needed.

He wanted to be selfish for once. He wanted to have Shiro for himself and wanted to build a life with him. He wanted to finally have the life he’d deemed impossible so long ago when it seemed Shiro wouldn’t hold anything more for him than friendship or brotherly love.

This time Keith took a step forward, and he crowded into Shiro’s space. Shiro’s grin widened, and his arm wrapped securely around his back. Keith cupped Shiro’s face in his hands, taking in the scar that still crossed his nose and the white tuft of hair coming from his forehead, the rest not having been changed by the events of his life.

He pushed himself up onto his toes and pressed their lips together in a kiss that Keith had been waiting and dreaming of for forever. Shiro’s arm tightened around his back, pressing their chests together. The kiss was sweeter than anything Keith could’ve imagined.

“Keith,” Shiro murmured against his lips. “My beautiful Keith.”

Keith swallowed and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, burying his face in his neck as his chest tightened. He was shocked he hadn’t shattered into a million pieces yet. “Please don’t leave me this time.”

“I could never leave you. I’m more worried about you leaving me again and if that happened, I don’t think I’d be able to take it. It was hard enough losing you once. But twice? It just might break me.”

Keith shook his head. “You’re stronger than that, Shiro. You’ve always been so strong. You could survive without me.”

Shiro chuckled darkly and squeezed him tighter. “You’re my heart and soul, Keith. You’re the center of my universe. There’s nothing left for me without you. Not after I thought I’d lost you once and would have to live the rest of my life alone.”

They stood in silence for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being pressed together. Keith would’ve been happy never moving from his spot if he could revel in the feeling of being wanted. Of being loved.

“Can I take you home, Keith?” Shiro asked. “We can have dinner and I can offer you a bed. I’m sure you’re tired coming from…wherever you came from.”

Keith smiled and pulled back, meeting Shiro’s eyes. “I don’t have anywhere else I’d rather be. Or anywhere else I can go, for that matter.”

Shiro chuckled, voice light and happy. He stepped backwards, pulling Keith along to his hoverbike. He picked up his helmet and stuffed it on his head before throwing his leg over the seat to climb on. He tugged Keith onto the bike behind him and settled his arms around his waist, not that Keith wasn’t going to take the chance to press against Shiro’s back as they rode along across the desert.

The bike came to life underneath them and Keith pressed his cheek between Shiro’s shoulder blades as they rose above the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust. Shiro eased forward, gently building up speed as Wolf kept pace beside them. He urged the bike faster, the dirt and rock disappearing underneath them as they flew over the landscape.

Before long, the bike began to slow, and Keith raised his head to peer over Shiro’s shoulder. They approached the shack he’d lived in while growing up and lowered to the ground around the side of the house.

“My shack?” Keith asked, as Shiro cut the engine.

“Uh yeah,” Shiro said, pulling his helmet off. He cleared his throat and Keith watched as a blush surged up into his cheeks. “I kind of…took it over after you passed. It let me stay connected to you and it was easier being out here than trying to live in the city and see the rest of our friends all the time and the pitying looks they gave me.”

Keith climbed off the back of the back and carefully picked his way around to the front of the shack. He rested his hand on the wooden railing and set his foot on the first step, making it creak and groan as he put his weight on it.

His boots hit the porch with a thud and he extended trembling fingers towards the doorknob. He turned the handle and pushed inside, the door opening with ease. The entrance looked the same and the house held the familiar musty smell. He left the door open in favor of the living room which was nicer than how he used to keep it.

A modern couch rested in front of the window and a bookshelf stood tall under the framed posters of the newest hoverbike designs and maps of space on the wall. The board he’d used to construct his clues during his search for Shiro wasn’t on the opposite wall and a mounted monitor stood in its place.

The wooden board and concrete blocks he’d used as a coffee table were nowhere to be seen and an actual coffee table rested on top of a solid blue rug. He turned and found Shiro standing in the doorway, watching him with anxious eyes.

“I never had much of an eye for interior decorating. Did you do this?” Keith asked with a smile.

Shiro nodded. “Even when you were alive, I couldn’t convince you to spruce up the place, but I needed something to focus on after you died, and this helped me feel connected to you.”

“It’s nice,” Keith said. “Much better than what I did. Care to show me the rest?”

Shiro nodded and held out his hand, wrapping strong fingers around Keith’s hand when he placed it in his. He pulled him through the opposite archway into the kitchen. The sturdy table remained, but the broken screen on the door was fixed and curtains framed the window above the sink. The fridge hummed happily in the corner, and the appliances and counters gleamed from a recent cleaning.

Shiro spun him around and directed him up the stairs to the second level. The brief glimpse of the bathroom Keith got was gleaming and had an actual shower curtain instead of just the plastic shower liner. But it was the bedroom that had been upgraded the most.

A large bed rested in the center of the room. The mattress had been bought within the last few months, replacing the sagging and lumpy one he’d slept on. It wasn’t resting on the floor either and had a bedframe raising it from the worn, wooden slats. The closet door had been fixed and a new dresser that matched the bed frame was tucked into one of the corners.

“Well?” Shiro asked. “What do you think?”

Keith turned to face him and smiled. “It looks great. You did more for this little house than I ever did.”

“Does this mean you’re really going to stay?”

Keith tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Shiro’s neck and stepped closer. He gazed into Shiro’s eyes for a moment before he pressed their lips together. Because, really, what else could he say in the face of being wanted so wholeheartedly it made him want to cry?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's already taken an interest in this fic! I'm still so in love with the idea and couldn't help myself so you get a new chapter today, too!
> 
> Hope you enjoy it and happy new year! May 2019 be full of sheith and happiness!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

A puff of warm air washed over Keith’s face before a warm tongue licked a stripe over his cheek.

“Ugh, Wolf,” he grumbled, lightly swatting at the furry muzzle pressing against his cheek. He furrowed his brow, feeling a warmth surrounding him that was unfamiliar. He blinked his eyes open and jolted upright when he recognized the walls of the shack.

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice grumbled next to him. “What’s wrong?”

A thumb rubbed circles into his side and Keith glanced down, finding an arm resting over his waist that connected him to Shiro.

“Baby?”

The hand moved from his waist to his cheek and turned his head so his gaze met Shiro’s concerned eyes.

Keith let out a breath as everything came back to him. The interdimensional travel, being accepted by Shiro and begged to stay, the shared dinner they’d had on the couch the night before, and finally settling into bed to get some sleep.

“Sorry,” he apologized, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Just panicked a little bit when I woke up in the shack. It’s been a long time since I last slept here so it was a little unfamiliar.”

Shiro’s worry eased and a gentle smile pulled at his lips. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “As long as you’re not regretting staying…?”

Keith shook his head. “Not at all. This is just going to take some getting used to is all,” he reassured.

“You want to lay in bed for a little longer or are you ready for breakfast?”

Wolf whined and rested his muzzle over Keith’s shoulder, nuzzling into his cheek. Keith chuckled and reached behind him, scratching him on the side of the neck.

“As much as I would like to stay here, I think Wolf is ready for us to get up. I never really had much of a habit of staying in bed and Wolf unfortunately knows the routine.”

“Breakfast it is then,” Shiro sighed, shoving the blankets off their legs. He pulled Keith from the mattress with spun him around, drawing him into a tight hug and making him grin.

“You go get things started and I’ll make the bed,” Keith said, nudging him towards the door.

Shiro nodded, eyes lingering on his form before he pulled himself away and disappeared through the doorway, almost as though he was afraid of what would happen if he left him alone. Keith sighed and crossed his arms, his heart feeling like it was ready to burst with the sudden outpouring of love and affection he was getting.

Wolf appeared in front of him and cocked his head to the side, whining as he held Keith’s gaze.

“I’m okay, boy,” Keith reassured, framing his face with his hands to dig his fingers into his fur. “I’m happy, as strange as it is.” He sighed and wrapped his arms around Wolf’s neck, holding him close.

“Head downstairs and try not to make things too difficult for Shiro, okay?” Keith asked, patting him on the back before he stepped back to the bed. “I need to get this made.”

Wolf yipped before he disappeared.

Keith stifled a chuckle at the surprised yelp that sounded downstairs. He busied himself with straightening the blankets and tucked the edges of the sheets under the mattress, smoothing out the wrinkles in the comforter. He took an extra moment to fluff the pillows and prop them against the headboard before he pulled himself away and slowly walked to the stairs.

He gripped the rail tightly in his hand and took one step at a time, hoping Shiro couldn’t hear his hesitation as he descended the steps.

“Wolf, no!” Shiro’s stern voice filtered through the door to the kitchen. “This isn’t for you. You’ll get your food later.”

Keith stepped into the doorway and leaned against the frame, smile pulling at his lips as he watched Shiro attempt to keep the pan he was cooking in out of Wolf’s reach.

“I said, no,” Shiro said, pointing the spatula at Wolf’s nose.

Wolf’s tongue darted out and licked some of the grease from the spatula.

“Gahhh!” Shiro exclaimed, looking ready to tear his hair out from frustration.

Keith snickered, drawing their attention.

“Your wolf doesn’t listen very well,” Shiro said, shoulders slumping.

Keith skirted around the table until he was standing next to Wolf and ran his fingers down his back. “He listens just fine when I’m telling him what to do.”

Shiro grumbled something under his breath and tossed the dirty spatula in the sink. He grabbed a spoon and divided the bacon between two plates that already housed eggs and buttered toast.

“Do you mind if we eat on the back porch?” Shiro asked, picking up the two plates.

“That’s probably for the best. Wolf can distract himself while we eat. I’m sure he’s antsy after being inside for so long.” He pushed open the back door and held it open for Wolf to dart through. He thumped down the steps and took off across the desert, running and teleporting over rocks and the wide expanse of desert sand.

Shiro chuckled as he stepped through and Keith let the door fall shut. They settled onto the top step and Keith gladly took the plate of warm food.

“Hey, Shiro?” Keith asked as he fiddled with the slice of toast on his plate.

“Hm?”

“What happened in your universe? Did you have to fight the Galra? Did you become part of Voltron? What happened in your life? What…what happened to me?” he asked, voice becoming smaller with his last question.

Shiro let out a long breath, his fork clinking against his plate as he slid his eggs around. “I was chosen to go on the Kerberos mission where I was kidnapped by the Galra. After I managed to escape and get back to Earth, you, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk found me when I crashed. Together, we found the Blue Lion and flew to the Castle of Lions where we met Coran and Allura. You know all of them, right?”

Keith nodded.

Shiro cleared his throat. “After we tracked down the rest of the Lions, Allura was captured by Zarkon. We couldn’t leave her to suffer at his hands, so we gathered a few forces strong enough to fight with us. Coran offered backup from the Castle and thanks to Pidge’s ingenuity we were able to keep their shield from activating and trapping us inside with a thousand fighters. I confronted Zarkon and learned he was the original Black Paladin, but with the help of you and the rest of our forces, I was able to defeat him. Once that happened, half of the Galra army crumbled and we were able to slowly dismantle the other forces and accept the compliant members of the Galra into the Coalition to offer security and protection for the rest of the universe.”

“Did you fight Zarkon on the Astral Plane?” Keith asked.

“On the what?” Shiro frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.”

“Really?” Keith asked with a frown. “No spacey plane where nothing exists but your soul and the bond to your Lion?”

Shiro smiled. “Well, we were fighting in space, so I would call that spacey.”

“Shut up,” Keith huffed, elbowing him in the side.

Shiro chuckled. “But no, there was no Astral Plane that I’ve heard of,” he continued. “Things have gone smoothly since the fight and we even managed to get through that huge battle with minimal casualties. Allura is one of the best diplomats of the universe.”

“She’s alive?!” Keith blurted.

Shiro frowned and turned to look at him. He nodded. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

Keith dropped his gaze, feeling his heart tighten in his chest. “No reason. Never mind. Go on.”

“We discovered a rebel Galra faction. Not in the sense that they were against us, but they were against what the Galra had been doing in their attempt to take over the universe. They were called-“

“The Blade of Marmora?”

Shiro chuckled. “Yeah, yeah they were. They were a tremendous help to the coalition and you discovered your mom was working with them.”

Keith gripped the edges of his plate and tried to clear the lump in his throat. “Is she…is she still…do I…”

“She’s alive and well,” Shiro murmured, wrapping his arm around his back to pull him against his side. “She’s still mourning your death as I had been. She cared for you deeply even though you didn’t get much time together.”

Keith nodded. “And my pop?”

Shiro sighed. “I’m sorry, Keith, but he’s dead.”

Keith nodded, feeling a sliver of hope he hadn’t realized had bloomed, crumple in his chest.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Keith watched as Wolf headed back to them.

“Do you think I could meet them? All of the Paladins, I mean. And Coran and Allura. And of course, my mom,” Keith murmured.

“I think they’d really like to see you again,” Shiro sighed. “I can invite them over later. We can save a trip into town for later. Wouldn’t want to give too many people a shock at your appearance.”

Keith curled into Shiro’s side. “I’d like that. I’d really like that, Shiro.”

“Hey, Keith?”

“Hm?”

“Why doesn’t your wolf have a name?”

Keith shrugged. “I figured he’d tell me what his name was when he was ready.”

Shiro snickered. “That’s a very you thing to do,” he whispered. “You should give him a name.”

Keith huffed. “I’ve had this conversation before and just because everyone else decided to call him Cosmo doesn’t mean I-“

“Cosmo’s a great name!” Shiro exclaimed, straightening.

“Not you, too,” Keith groaned, burying his face in Shiro’s shoulder.

Shiro chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with giving him a name and that’s what he’s going to be called now.” He took Keith’s half-eaten plate when it was apparent he’d lost any remaining appetite he had, and made to stand but Keith stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

Shiro gave him a curious look and Keith smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Shiro sighed, mouth relaxing against his as they kissed and tasted their breakfast on each other’s tongues.

“I’ll go dump these in the sink and then I can give everyone a call,” Shiro said, gaze soft as he pulled back.

Keith nodded and let him have a head start into the house, the door banging lightly behind him when it shut. Wolf appeared at his side with a little huff, tail wagging.

“I guess I should start calling you Cosmo, huh?” he muttered, brushing some dirt from his fur. “Everyone else seems to be on board and they might be right that you need a name.”

Cosmo yipped next to him and Keith pushed himself to his feet, stretching his arms over his head to loosen his muscles. He winced as a few places smarted from his harsh landing the day before and he rubbed a hand against his side.

He jogged up the last two steps to the porch and strode to the door, pulling it open to let himself and Cosmo inside.

“Everything’s alright, I promise.” Shiro’s voice filtered in from the living room.

Keith gently shut the door behind him and walked through the kitchen doorway and across the entry to the living room, leaning against the frame and giving him a view of Shiro standing in front of the monitor.

He looked sheepish and was holding his hands up as though he was placating someone. Or several someones.

“Well, you can’t really blame us for being concerned when we’ve barely heard anything from you these past few months,” Pidge huffed.

“I know, Pidge, and I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have cut all of you off, but I was hurting,” Shiro tried to justify.

“And you think we weren’t?” Hunk asked. “Keith was our friend, too. We wanted to be there for you-“

“But you just went off and locked yourself in the shack in the desert,” Lance muttered.

Shiro sighed and scratched the back of his neck, gaze sliding to Keith. His mouth tilted up into a smile when their eyes met.

“Who are you looking at?” Pidge asked, voice breaking in again. “Is someone there with you?”

Keith pressed a hand over his mouth to quiet the laughter that wanted to spill from him as Shiro hastily turned his attention back to the screen.

“There is,” he admitted. “And it’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you all about. If you’re not busy this afternoon, do you think you could come out to the shack? We have a lot to discuss.”

“Of course, we’ll be there,” Allura said. “Everything else can wait. How soon can the rest of you clear your schedules?”

“I’ll be ready in an hour. We can take the land cruiser I’ve been fixing up,” Pidge said.

“Same for me,” Lance agreed.

“I’ll just need to call a chef to take my place,” Hunk said. “But it should be no trouble since the rest of my team are perfectly capable of operating without constant supervision.”

“Do you…” Shiro started, the light in his eyes dimming a bit. “Do you think you could bring Krolia, too? I’ve been too nervous to give her a call and I don’t really know what to say.”

Keith’s heart tightened, and he crossed his arms over his chest, digging his fingers into his biceps.

“Oh, Shiro,” Allura murmured.

“We’ll give her a call,” Lance said. “You can count on us.”

“Thanks everyone,” Shiro said, looking at a different point on the monitor in turn. “And I’ll see you soon.”

The Paladins agreed and said their goodbyes. Keith kept himself from moving until Shiro sighed and closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging under the weight of what Keith could only imagine was pressing down on him.

“It’ll be okay,” he murmured, stepping forward to take Shiro’s hands in his own.

Shiro’s eyes were tired as he met Keith’s gaze. “I know it will be. Everything will be okay now that you’re here. I just…I don’t know what I’m going to say. This whole thing is more than a little crazy.”

“We have an hour to figure it out,” Keith reassured. “I think you should break the news to them slowly before they see me, though. I’m not exactly in the mood to be attacked if they think I’m some sort of imposter or robot or something.”

“I’d never allow them to hurt you,” Shiro swore.

Keith smiled. “I know you wouldn’t. I trust you with my life, Shiro.”

Shiro stepped closer and ducked his head, pressing another kiss to Keith’s lips.

“For now, we should probably shower and get changed. I’m sure you don’t want to look like a complete slob who wasn’t able to manage after my death,” Keith said with a smirk.

Shiro’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a little shit, you know that?”

Keith’s smirk slid into a grin and he pulled Shiro towards the stairs. “Maybe I am, but you still love me anyway.”

Shiro chuckled and chased Keith up the stairs, managing to corner him for a kiss before Keith slipped from his hold and shoved him into the bathroom so he could shower by himself.

~~

Keith absentmindedly ran his fingers through Cosmo’s hair where he was waiting in the kitchen. Shiro was giving off as much nervous energy as he was and he was in the other room.

His heart skipped a beat when a knock sounded on the door. He pressed back against the kitchen wall and tried to keep calm.

“Hi every-oof,” Shiro said. His laugh was strained. “Hug me any tighter Pidge and you just might break me in half.”

“Shut up,” she muttered. “This is what you get after so many weeks of radio silence. Now what did you want to talk about?”

“Come on into the living room and have a seat so we can talk.”

Keith listened to their footsteps over the wood flooring and the soft squeak of the couch and chairs as they took their seats.

“I can understand why you invited the rest of the Paladins, but why did you ask me here?”

Keith squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of his mom’s voice. He pressed a shaking hand to his mouth, hoping he wouldn’t lose it before even getting into the same room with them.

“Trust me, Krolia, this is just as important for you as it is for them. Come on.”

Keith let out a sigh when he heard them walk into the next room.

“Okay,” Shiro started. “Now this may be confusing to all of you. I honestly couldn’t believe it myself, but…” he cut himself off with a sigh.

“You can tell us anything Shiro,” Allura prodded, voice gentle.

“Okay, okay. It might just be better if you see him. I know this is going to be a shock, but please don’t freak out by what you’re about to see.”

“I guess that’s my cue, Cosmo,” Keith whispered, giving him one last pat on the head. He pushed off the wall and walked into the entryway, hesitating before he reached the doorway.

He stepped through and was met with a range of shocked expressions and silence before the room erupted into chaos.

“Keith?!” Lance exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

“But you died!” Pidge shouted, pressing back into the couch.

“How did you come back? You’re not a ghost, are you?” Hunk asked, looking around for some sort of escape.

“Keith, is that really you?” Krolia asked, voice gentle and hopeful, much like how Shiro’s had been when they first saw each other.

Keith smiled at all of them in turn. He walked forward until he was next to Shiro and linked their fingers together, giving his hand a squeeze.

“It’s me, but…I’m not the same person that you knew,” Keith started.

“What do you mean?” Pidge asked. “You’re Keith-“

Keith nodded, stopping her before she could go off on a tangent. “I am, but I’m a Keith from a different universe. The one you knew…the one who traveled the universe with you and became friends with you is still dead. And I’m not here to replace him. I was simply searching for my place in the universe and thought I might be able to find it here. With Shiro,” he added, sharing a look with the man next to him.  

“How did you get here?” Allura asked. “Traveling from one universe to another would take a great deal of power. Even the Castle would struggle to do that with its resources.”

“I had a ship built. The Pidge from my universe actually worked on it,” he said, flashing Pidge a smile. “I know I’m not the same person that you knew, but I’d like to get to know all of you and what you mean to Shiro. I know this might be hard but-“

He blinked when a crowd of arms wrapped around him and a strand of hair slipped into his mouth. He blew it out, trying to clear the taste from his tongue as he was nearly crushed in a group hug.

“I don’t care that you’re a different Keith, it’s so nice to have you back man,” Hunk cried.

“Life hasn’t been the same without you,” Lance agreed.

“You’ll always be welcome with us,” Coran wept, tears already sliding down his cheeks.

Keith chuckled, warmth spreading through his chest. “Thank you. That really means a lot. After everything…”

“And we’re so happy that you and Shiro are together,” Pidge said. “We always thought you two should end up together.”

Keith smiled and glanced up at Shiro who only had eyes for him. “That’s part of the reason why I’m here. I thought I finally might be able to be with Shiro and this universe is turning out to be everything I need in life.”

Keith’s gaze slid past Shiro to where his mom was standing. Her lips were parted in shock and Keith knew that aside from Shiro, this was going to be hardest on her after her son had died and a copy was standing in his place.

He gently prodded the Paladins off him and took a step towards her.

“I know I’m not your son, but-“

“Hush,” she said, stepping towards him. “It doesn’t matter if you were born to me here or in another universe. No matter where you come from or what happens in life, you’ll always be my son, Keith.” She pulled him into a crushing hug and he wrapped his arms around her back, burying his face in her neck to breath in the somehow familiar smell of his mom.

“I’m so glad to have you back,” she whispered in his ear.

“I’m glad to be here. I’m so glad to be here and to have you.”

“You know what this calls for?” Hunk asked behind him. “A celebration! And I’m cooking.”

Keith grinned and pulled back just enough to face the rest of the group even as his mom’s arms tightened around him. “That sounds like a great idea.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I continue to have zero self-control. First fic post of 2019 ayeeeeeee. And I'm definitely looking forward to what this chapter is setting up next. ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

“Good morning, Pidge,” Krolia’s kind voice said, coming clearly through the video feed.

Pidge grinned and waved. “Hi Krolia! How are the relief efforts coming along?”

She smiled. “They’re going well. We’ve continued providing aid and resources to planets who’ve been decimated by the war. With our work, the universe is going to come back stronger than ever.”

“And how’s Keith doing?”

“He’s well. I think he’s happy with what he’s doing now.”

Pidge nodded. “That’s great! I’m so happy for him. The rest of the Paladins are going to have another dinner with Coran in a few days. Is Keith going to be available this time? I know he missed the last one and we all wished we could’ve seen him to catch up. Curtis really wants to get to know Keith since he was such good friends with Shiro.”

“I’ll try and get a call through to him, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to make it again. He’s very busy with his work,” Krolia said.

Pidge frowned and sighed. “Okay. I guess it can’t be helped. But the next time you talk to him, tell him to give us a call. We’d like to catch up one of these days. Things just aren’t the same now that we’re not working together as Voltron anymore.”

She nodded. “Sure, Pidge. I’ll pass on your message.”

“Thanks, Krolia. I have to get going. Tech doesn’t develop itself!”

“Goodbye, Pidge. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you again soon.”

Pidge chuckled and cut the feed. Her smile quickly fell from her lips and she spun her chair around, thinking over her conversation with Krolia. For weeks now, they hadn’t heard anything directly from Keith. Most things had come from Krolia and even Shiro said she was the one submitting reports to the Coalition about their relief efforts.

“Something isn’t right,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “Krolia’s hiding something.”

She huffed and jumped out of her chair, jogging out of her office and through the main lab.

“Pidge? Where are you going?” Matt called when she passed.

“I have to take care of something. I’ll be back soon, don’t worry!” she called over her shoulder.

She made a sharp turn once she left the room behind and darted around several soldiers and researchers as she made a beeline for the closest hanger.

“I’m taking one of the pods out!” she called to the flight director as she hurried into the room to put on a spare suit for the trip. She rushed back out seconds later, used to the quick changes after years of having to wake up and get moving on the fly, and carried her helmet under her arm. “I’m taking the fastest one we have. I need to get to the Blade headquarters.”

“Are you sure? Is something wrong?” he called after her. “Should I alert Captain Shirogane?”

“No. Don’t trouble him with this. I’ll report back if it’s something the Coalition needs to concern itself with.”

Pidge jammed the helmet onto her head and scrambled up the ramp into the small jet. She settled into the seat and swiveled around to face the controllers, powering up the ship and retracting the ramp to close the doors. She punched in the coordinates for the signal Krolia had used to send her video feed and engaged the thrusters, rising from the floor and navigating the ship through the hanger to exit through the opening in the roof.

“ _Paladin, you are clear for go_ ,” the flight director said over the comms.

“Roger,” she said, gunning it out of the hanger and across the desert before rising steeply into the atmosphere. Within seconds, her ship broke free of Earth’s atmosphere and the gravitational pull that kept the moon and satellites in orbit. She flipped the switch for a wormhole and grinned when a small opening in space and time appeared in front of her.

“Perfect, just like we’ve been working towards,” she said proudly.

She directed her ship inside and after flying through a short tunnel of light, she emerged on the other side where a group of asteroids were orbiting a small planet. Pidge slowed her vehicle and opened her communication channels as she flew towards the largest asteroid that housed the Blade’s current headquarters.

“This is the Green Paladin requesting landing access at the Blade base,” Pidge said, confident in her abilities when it came to interacting with military bases and organizations.

_“We hear you, Paladin and are ready for your ship. Gates are opening for your arrival.”_

“Roger that,” she said, nudging the controls to circle the asteroid. She slowed when she turned towards the hanger and altered the direction of her ship’s thrusters, carefully moving into the hanger where two members of the Blade directed her to land in the center of the bay.

She set down the ship and shut off the systems, opening the bay doors so she could sprint off her ship before the hanger doors had time to close.

“Paladin, what are you-“

“I need you to instruct Krolia to come to the meeting room. I have something I need to discuss with her,” Pidge shouted as she passed, not sparing a second to explain herself or listen for a response as she hurried through the complex hallways of the base.

By the time she turned the corner for the meeting room, Krolia was waiting at the door.

“Pidge,” she said, expression closed off. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think the information I relayed was enough to prompt a visit.”

“Normally it wouldn’t,” she gasped out as she fought to catch her breath, bracing her hands on her knees. “But I have a feeling you know why I’m here.”

Krolia sighed, suddenly looking more tired and aged than Pidge was sure she’d ever seen her. “You’re here about Keith, aren’t you?”

Pidge nodded and Krolia pulled open the door to the meeting room, waving her inside.

“We have quite a bit to discuss then,” Krolia said, pulling one of the chairs away from the table as Pidge took the chair across from her.

“Where is he?” Pidge asked, bracing her elbows on the table.

“Keith is…he’s gone,” Krolia admitted.

“What do you mean, gone? He’s not dead is he?” Pidge exclaimed, fear gripping her heart.

She shook her head. “No, he’s not. At least…I hope he’s not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Keith was…deeply unhappy here. He wanted to find a place for himself and thought the only way he could find happiness would be to go to another universe as Honerva had tried to do. He was interested in the ships you were designing for interdimensional travel and once you gave him clearance to have one, he used it to leave. I haven’t heard anything from him and he hasn’t returned, so I can only hope he found what he was looking for.”

Pidge stared at her. “I had no idea he felt like that.”

Krolia smiled, eyes gazing into a distant, or maybe not so distant, past. “Keith was always good about keeping his feelings hidden. Especially if they would cause other people distress. He didn’t want to cause anyone trouble and always thought it best to put their needs above his own. He felt he was the last person who ever needed to be worried about.”

“He still could’ve talked to us! We were friends. We spent years traveling the universe together and fighting the Galra empire. Why didn’t he…why didn’t he say goodbye?” Pidge asked, voice small.

“The same reason he didn’t let any of you be privy to his feelings. It was one and the same.” She paused. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but please respect Keith’s wishes and trust that he found where he needs to be.”

“But we weren’t even sure the ships were stable enough for interdimensional travel yet,” Pidge said, gripping the edge of the table as every worst case scenario played out in his mind. “He could’ve burnt up on entry into the portal. He could’ve burnt up exiting the portal. He could’ve appeared inside another planet and been crushed to death since there’s no guarantee the placement of objects was exactly the same from one universe to the next.” Pressure built up behind her eyes and her breathing became shorter and more strained as her emotions ran away from her.

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a warm hug. “Don’t blame yourself for this, young one,” Krolia said, voice soft and caring. “Keith knew the risks and he was willing to take them because he saw no other chance to free himself. I have to trust that he’s okay and he’s where he needs to be, and you need to do the same.”

Pidge nodded and wrapped her arms around Krolia, returning the hug.

“I’m sorry,” Pidge murmured.

“What could you have to be sorry for?” Krolia asked.

“I’m sorry that you lost your son again.”

Krolia’s grip tightened around her. “He’s still in my heart. And it would’ve been selfish and wrong of me to force him to stay when he was hurting so deeply.”

“This has to do with him being in love with Shiro, doesn’t it?” Pidge asked.

Krolia chuckled. “It has everything to do with him loving Shiro,” she agreed.

Pidge sighed and buried her face deeper into Krolia’s shoulder, wishing things could’ve been different.

~~

Pidge stared at the plate of food Hunk set in front of her. Her appetite had been nonexistent since she’d returned from the Blade’s headquarters and she was still struggling to come to terms with what she’d learned.

“Is everything alright, Pidge?” Shiro asked, kind gaze resting on her.

Pidge met his eyes and wondered again how none of them had seen how unhappy Keith had been. She almost wanted to be angry at Shiro for being unable to love Keith the way he needed, but she knew that would’ve been unfair to place the blame on his shoulders.

“No, I…I have something to tell all of you,” she said, looking around the table at her friends.

“You know you can tell us anything,” Hunk said.

“Yeah, what’s on your mind?” Lance added, already digging into his food.

“It’s about Keith.”

They frowned and shared concerned glances, waiting for her to continue.

“I got suspicious over why Keith hasn’t joined us for any of our dinners over the past couple of weeks and why Krolia was always the one checking in with us. And why we never heard from Keith.”

“But that might not mean anything,” Hunk said. “He could easily be busy with the Blade and his relief efforts.”

Pidge nodded. “That’s what I thought at first too, but that wouldn’t explain why we never got any calls from him. So, I went and talked to Krolia a few days ago.” She swallowed, trying to fight back the tears that always seemed to come in the wake of thinking about Keith. “I should’ve noticed sooner…but Keith’s gone. He left.”

“Where did he go?” Shiro asked. “He’s already been to some of the farthest reaches of the universe.”

Pidge shook her head. “He went to another universe. Apparently, he was miserable here and needed to leave. I feel terrible for not knowing what was going on with him. I should’ve realized when he showed so much interest in the new ships I was building. He never cared about my experiments before.”

Silence descended on the table, everyone too shocked by the news to know what to say.

“But he’s okay, right?” Lance asked. “He’s alive?”

Pidge shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s no way to tell without a form of communication and I don’t even know if his ship survived the journey in one piece.”

“We have to get him back,” Shiro said, placing his hands on the table to push his chair back.

“Shiro, we shouldn’t-” Pidge started.

He’s from our universe. There’s no telling if his presence in a foreign universe won’t negatively affect the stability of the different universes. And he might not even be happy. He could be hurt. Or persecuted. Any number of things could’ve gone wrong.”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Shiro,” Hunk said. “I think we should trust Krolia that Keith found where he needed to be.”

“But she doesn’t even know if he’s alive,” Shiro pleaded. “We should at least make sure he’s where he needs to be, and if he’s not, then we can bring him back here where he belongs.”

The table was silent for a moment as they thought over Shiro’s statements.

“If you don’t want to come with me, that’s fine,” Shiro amended. “I’ll go alone if I have to so I can bring him back.”

“No,” Pidge said, shaking her head as she stood. “There’s no reason you need to go alone. Especially since the tech for interdimensional travel is still so new. There might not be anyone to repair the damage on the other side if something happens. You’ll need an engineer to come with you.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with bringing a second engineer along, just in case,” Hunk said, smiling at Pidge. “You can count me in, too.”

“And you know I’ll never be left out of a party,” Lance said, crossing his arms behind his head with a grin.

“And I’ll come, too,” Coran said, twisting his moustache. “You never know what alien species you might come in contact with on your journey.”

“It’s settled then,” Shiro said. “We’ll get started right away.”

“I have a new ship that’s in better condition than what Keith took. It should be strong enough to make the journey,” Pidge said. “The only problem is going to be figuring out which universe Keith went to.”

“I think I might have an idea of how to figure that one out,” Hunk said with a grin.

“Oh yeah?” Pidge asked with a smile. “Lay it on me.”

“Whatever ship Keith was on would have a particle discharge from the fuel and thrusters. It wouldn’t be so easy to track him if we were in common airspace in our own universe, but since I’m betting we don’t have any other ships that have jumped from one dimension to another, we should be able to track his particle discharge from our universe to the one he landed in.”

Pidge furrowed her brow. “Would it be strong enough to give off visual radiation, do you think?”

Hunk hummed. “If we had a proper calibrated scanner it might, but if we used something that picks up signals similar to radiation levels, that would probably work, too.”

“And once we enter the universe, we can use the GPS in his suit to track his location,” Pidge finished.

Hunk held up his hand and Pidge gave him a high-five.

“It sounds like we’ve got this figured out,” Shiro said with a smile. “Let’s get to work.”

~~

Pidge rubbed at her eyes as she fought to keep them open.

“Come on, Pidge, you need to get some sleep,” Matt chastised, resting his hands on her shoulders.

She shook her head. “There’s too much that needs to be done. We’re leaving-”

“You’re leaving tomorrow. You’ve tested all of the technology multiple times, you know you can track the particle discharge from Keith’s ship, and the ship is loaded for takeoff tomorrow. You have enough time to get a few hours of sleep so you don’t fall asleep in the middle of your universe hopping.”

Pidge sighed and hung her head. “I’m just worried.”

“It’s going to be fine,” Matt reassured, pulling her chair away from the desk. “We’ve run the numbers a thousand times. You’re going to make it there in one piece and you’re going to find Keith. I don’t know if you’re going to bring him home yet, but finding him is a start.”

Pidge nodded. “I just hope I get to see him again.”

“You will. But not if you continue to deprive yourself of sleep and pass out during the middle of your journey and end up leading the ship into a fiery explosion of death because no one else knows how to handle your tech. Now go get in bed and I’ll wake you up in the morning in time to shower and have breakfast before you need to go through the final checks and preparations before you leave.”

Pidge chuckled and pushed herself to her feet. “Hey, Matt?”

He grinned. “What is it?”

“Thanks.”

Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed her against his side. “You’re going to do great. And give my best to Keith when you find him.”

“You bet,” she agreed before pulling away to leave the darkened lab behind.

The hallways were empty at the late hour and she knew anyone she did see up was going through the nighttime security checks. The quiet was peaceful and helped to calm her worries about the trip to come.

She understood why Krolia didn’t want to make the journey with them, but she was still sad that she wouldn’t get to see Keith again unless they brought him back. But, unlike the rest of them, she did get to say goodbye before Keith left.

Pidge stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. The ride was quick and silent and when the doors opened, she paused at the first door that was labeled with Shiro’s name. She frowned, and sadness tugged at her heart.

Shiro wanted Keith back because of the friendship and past they had between them, but he was still blind to Keith’s feelings and might never grasp why he had to leave. And even if he did, he’d probably never be able to accept that he was the cause of Keith leaving.

Pidge sighed and started forward past the rest of the rooms that were designated for the other Paladins even if they weren’t always on the base. She lifted her hand and pressed it to the scanner on the wall next to her door, waiting as it read her fingerprints before opening the door with a soft hiss of air.

She stepped inside, and the door slid shut behind her. She shuffled over to her bed, exhaustion tugging at her limbs now that she was away form the artificial lights that filled the rooms and hallways. She barely managed to pull the glasses from her face before she collapsed onto her bed, eyes sliding shut immediately as she drifted off to sleep, left only with the hopes that the next day’s flight was going to be a success and that she’d get to see one of her best friends one last time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the status of this fic right now. This chapter finishes off everything I had planned and pretty much wraps things up. There is certainly the chance that I might get inspo for just some simple domestic scenes between Keith and Shiro to get a peek at their life, but I'm marking this fic as complete because that's not really guaranteed at this point. I mainly just wanted to work through all of the feelings at the end of season 8 and give Keith everything he deserves and I think I've done that pretty damn well with this fic. 
> 
> So please, enjoy this chapter because I really enjoyed putting it together. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Pidge tightened her grip on the controls as they passed through the first gate. The ship shook and rattled around them and it was so much different from going through the wormholes in the Castle of Lions that she was worried they might shake apart and be crushed in this space between universes. A space where life didn’t exist and didn’t belong.

“Hunk how is the tracker looking?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“Going strong,” he said. “I’ve got a read on a stream of particle discharge. Hold steady on our current path. It doesn’t look as though it’s going to diverge yet and since we don’t know how close we can get to these other timelines, I wouldn’t risk possibly getting pulled into a place we’re not trying to be if gravity exists here.”

She avoided looking at the other Paladins strapped into their seats. Shiro had been tense when they boarded, and she didn’t want to think about what was going through his head. Or what he might do if anything went wrong considering how determined he was to bring Keith back.

“Begin altering course to the right by five degrees,” Hunk said, focus still on the monitor in front of him. “It looks like we’ll be approaching the entrance to the universe Keith went to soon.”

Pidge nodded and carefully shifting the controls to alter course. The ship shook and jolted underneath her and she swallowed, feeling a bead of sweat slide down the side of her temple. She hadn’t been this stressed while flying since the worst of the war.

“And shift another five degrees. It looks as though we’ll be veering strongly to the right up ahead. The portal that has the lavender outline is the one we’re aiming for.”

“Got it,” Pidge said with a nod. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, shifting to the edge of her seat as she directed the ship.

“Turn now,” Hunk instructed.

With less grace than she wanted, Pidge jerked the controls and sent the ship veering towards the opening Hunk had pointed out to her, earning a rude squawk from Lance. The metal shook and groaned around them but still held steady even when they passed through the portal.

She squinted against the bright light they passed through, not wanting to close her eyes completely until they were safely out of the portal and she could see where they were headed. They didn’t come this far only to crash into the side of some building or the ground.

“Did we-are we…” Shiro started.

Pidge blinked, realizing the bright light shining into her eyes had been the reflection of the sun off the large expanse of sand below them.

“The desert?” she muttered. “Hunk, are you tracking anything from Keith’s-“

“He’s blipping again!” Hunk cheered.

Lance let out a relieved sigh and Pidge finally relaxed, loosening her grip on the controls.

“Where is he?” Shiro asked, falling into the role of the commander he’d grown into so well during the course of the war.

“Due east,” Hunk said with a slightly hysterical laugh. “I can’t believe we’ve found him!”

“Get those coordinates uploaded into the system,” Pidge said, redirecting the ship. “Let’s go find our friend.”

The new course appeared in the corner of the screen and Pidge smiled at the small red blip that was drawing closer and closer as they flew over the desert. Excitement and happiness bloomed in her chest. She’d missed Keith. She hadn’t realized it back on Earth since she was always so focused on her research, but after being faced with the possibility of never seeing him again, it was the thing she wanted most. And she was sure the rest of the Paladins felt the same way.

Before long, a lone shack appeared on the horizon.

“I guess we should’ve expected that,” Shiro said, sounding fond. “Of course Keith’s shack wouldn’t be confined to one universe over the rest of them. He was always good about finding his way home.”

Pidge eased off the thrusters as they approached, slowing their speed until she could lower the ship a few feet from the shack without kicking up too big of a storm. She powered down the systems and sagged back into her chair, feeling more exhausted than she expected to be after the short, but undeniably stressful journey.

“Let’s go,” Shiro said. “We need to find him.”

“Shiro maybe…” Pidge started. She glanced at Hunk and Lance and Coran. “Maybe you should go in and see him first. We can wait out here until you’re done talking with him.”

Lance frowned at her, but she narrowed her eyes and he shrugged.

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked.

She sighed and pushed herself to her feet. She braced her hands on her hips and turned to face Shiro, giving him her most confident smile. “I’m sure. We can each have our time with him.”

Shiro nodded and glanced at the rest of the Paladins before he sprinted from the cockpit and towards the back of the ship. He hit the button to open the hatch doors and jumped through, hurrying across the sand to the front porch.

He skipped the steps entirely and jumped straight onto the porch before raising his fist to knock several times on the front door. He shifted from foot to foot as he waited, not hearing anything from within.

“Can I help-” Keith cut himself off as he pulled the door open and found Shiro standing in front of him. He pressed his lips together and swallowed, feeling sadness curl into a lead weight over his heart. “Shiro. What are you doing here?”

“I had to come find you, Keith,” Shiro said, spreading his hands in front of him. “I had to make sure you were okay. We had no idea what happened to you.”

Keith crossed his arms, feeling small and vulnerable. He glanced up at Shiro and behind him to the ship that was waiting. “Maybe you should come inside so we can talk,” he muttered. He moved to the side and let Shiro through the door.

Keith shut the door and walked into the kitchen, nervous energy leaving him unable to stand in one spot.

“Why did you leave?” Shiro asked, voice creeping into desperate territory. Keith nearly winced, feeling he was once again going to have to downplay his feelings so Shiro wouldn’t be completely turned away.

“I had to,” Keith said. “I wasn’t happy, and I needed to find a place for myself.”

“And you had to come here? You had a whole universe of places to go.”

“That didn’t matter,” Keith mumbled. “Even if I went to the farthest reaches of the universe, I still wouldn’t have found somewhere I belonged.”

“How do you know? We were just beginning to catalogue the different planets and cultures. Surely there was somewhere-”

“No!” Keith snapped, his temper finally getting the best of him since Shiro wasn’t getting it. Since he never got it and Keith was always thrown to the side or forgotten because there was always someone more important who held Shiro’s attention. “Even if I went to every known planet in the universe and touched every corner and every star of our universe, I still wouldn’t have had the one thing I wanted the most. Don’t you get that?!”

Keith clenched his hands into fists at his sides, trying to draw in enough oxygen to breathe despite the tightness in his chest. He’d finally found his fucking happiness. He’d finally found the one universe he could be with Shiro in and of course it was the deepest irony that it was Shiro who’d shown up to ruin that for him.

“Keith…” Shiro breathed, looking him up and down.

“Keith?”

Shiro’s eyes slid past him and narrowed. He straightened to his full height and Keith knew the look in his eyes. It was the look he got when he was sizing up an enemy or a threat. Keith turned to look over his shoulder and found Shiro-his Shiro-standing behind him.

“Who’s this?”  the old Shiro asked.

“Shiro,” he started. “This is…Shiro,” he sighed, giving a weak wave of introduction at the Shiro of the new universe.

Shiro cleared his throat and walked up behind him, curling his finger’s around his hip. Keith relaxed into the touch, finally feeling some of his anxiety leave him, almost as though Shiro’s very touch could draw the fear and anxiety from his body. Shiro pressed his lips to the side of his head and Keith watched Shiro’s eyes widen.

“Shiro,” Keith sighed, staring at his old friend. “This is the Shiro from my universe. My friends were just dropping in for a visit.”

“Keith,” Shiro started, eyes wide and pleading as he looked between Keith and the new Shiro’s proximity. “You can’t really want to stay here. You had a whole life ahead of you back home. You had friends and family!”

“Keith came here for a reason,” the new Shiro said, voice dropping low and nearly dripping with venom, his fingers digging into Keith’s hip. “He’s chosen this as his new home. _You_ can’t really expect him to go back with you.”

“His home is back in his original universe!” Shiro cried, taking a step towards them.

“Stop!” Keith shouted, looking between them both.

“I’m sorry,” the new Shiro apologized, shoulders sagging as his gaze softened towards Keith.

Keith gave him a small smile and turned his attention back towards his old friend. “Shiro,” he said, letting out a heavy sigh. “If we were as close as you think we were, and as close as we used to be, wouldn’t you have noticed how unhappy I was?”

“Keith, I…you can still come back,” Shiro pleaded.

Keith shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t come back, because I loved you and I realized that I could never have you. And I found a universe where I could have what I wanted.” He glanced over his shoulder at the new Shiro, earning another squeeze on his hip. He turned back to the other Shiro. “This is where I can be happy. Please understand that.”

Shiro stared at him, his mouth moving as he tried to come up with something to say to the realization that he’d lost his closest friend. That he lost him a long time ago.

“Let me walk you out, Shiro,” Keith said. “I think it’s time for you to go home.”

Shiro’s shoulders slumped and he turned, heading towards the front door like a dejected puppy. Keith made to follow after him but Shiro’s grip on his hip stopped him.  

“Keith,” Shiro whispered behind him.

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay. We can talk later,” he said, waving away his concern and stepping out of his embrace.

The old Shiro glanced over his shoulder as he reached the front door and pulled it open, holding it open for Keith to walk through. The new Shiro walked out behind them, keeping close almost as though he was afraid Keith was going to change his mind and go with Shiro back to his old home.

“Keith!” Pidge cried, running over to him.

“He-ey Pidge,” Keith said, smile pulling at his lips as she launched herself into his arms and he caught her with ease.

“I can’t believe you didn’t say goodbye you idiot!” she said, smacking him on the shoulder.

“I know, I’m sorry, but I had to leave,” Keith said, squeezing her tightly.

“You really think we blame you for that? Come on,” she huffed with a roll of her eyes, “everyone just wanted the chance to say goodbye.” She grabbed Keith’s hands and tugged him over to the rest of the Paladins who were watching him with soft expressions. Coran jumped forward and threw his arms around Keith’s shoulders, already sobbing as Keith pat him on the back.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Shiro huffed, turning towards Keith’s new Shiro.

Shiro shrugged and crossed his arms, eyeing him warily. They walked a few feet away from the group reunion to avoid any chance of being overheard unless their conversation escalated into a screaming match.

“What do you want?” the new Shiro asked.

“You can’t keep Keith where he doesn’t belong,” Shiro hissed, jabbing a finger at him in another attempt at talking some sense into somebody.

“You say he doesn’t belong here,” the new Shiro started, narrowing his eyes. “How many times have you seen Keith smile?”

“What?” Shiro asked, coming up short at the unexpected retaliation.

“Just answer the question.”

“I’ve seen him smile a few times. More than most people since he wasn’t very open with people he wasn’t close to.”

“Maybe before he came here. But ever since Keith arrived, he’s pretty much smiled every day since he’s been here. And not only that, I’ve got him to laugh in the mornings when he’s just woken up. He’s open and happy and relaxed. I think that’s more than you can say you saw from him back in your universe.”

“Well, maybe it’s easier for you, did you consider that? We didn’t have much to smile or laugh about during the war-“

“Even in war, you can still find small moments to be happy. You can still find moments to laugh and smile if you really care about someone,” the new Shiro said, not willing to give him ground. “If I’d gotten the chance to spend this kind of time with Keith during the war, I would’ve cherished every selfish moment I could’ve snatched between meals or strategy meetings or after training. I would’ve made an effort to get him to smile or laugh if it meant the war could slide into the background of our lives for one moment.”

The old Shiro stared at him.

“I may not have lived through as much as you did,” the new Shiro continued, “but just because we stopped the war earlier doesn’t mean that I don’t know what kind of toll it can take on you. Now, can’t you at least let Keith do what he needs to do to be happy? Don’t you care about him enough where you can let him go? He loved you. He probably still loves you, but he can’t go back with you,” Shiro said, glancing over his shoulder at where Keith was laughing and hugging the other Paladins.

The old Shiro sighed, his shoulders sagging under yet another weight that he was being forced to carry.

“Come on,” Shiro said, nodding towards the group. “It’s probably best if we get back.”

He waited for the old Shiro to start walking forward first.

“You’re welcome to visit anytime you want,” Keith said to the rest of the Paladins. “You know where to find me now,” he said with a small chuckle. “And your ship is obviously in much better condition then mine was since it broke up upon entry into this universe.”  

The Paladins pulled him into another hug.

“You’re lucky I’m forgiving you for destroying one of my ships,” Pidge said, making the rest of the Paladins laugh.

“We’ll tell your mom you’re okay, too,” Hunk said.

“Thank you,” he murmured, feeling his heart twist at having left his mom behind.

“She’s happy for you,” Pidge said. “And she understands, so try not to carry too much guilt over leaving.”

Keith’s smile turned melancholy and cloudy like a bleak December day.

“You really do seem a lot happier here then you did back home,” Lance said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed. “I’m sorry we didn’t notice how hard things were for you.”

Keith shook his head. “I was always pretty good at hiding things I didn’t want anyone to see. It’s not your fault. But I _am_ happy now. I’m really so much happier than you could know, and this is where I want to be.”

Their gazes slid past him and he turned to find the two Shiros standing side-by-side behind him.

“We’ll meet you on the ship, Shiro,” Hunk said.

“Yeah, I should plan our trajectory back to our own universe,” Pidge said, backing up towards the ship.

“I’m sorry, Keith,” the old Shiro said as the Paladins made a hasty retreat, having to pull Coran along who was nearly a puddle of tears. “I shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have said a lot of the things I said.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Keith agreed. “But I need you to accept that this is where I want to spend the rest of my life.”

Shiro nodded. “I guess this is goodbye then.”

“Goodbye Shiro,” Keith said. He hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and throwing his arms around Shiro’s shoulders. Shiro buried his face in his neck and hugged him back tightly, grip nearly crushing him.

Shiro let out a long sigh before he released his grip and stepped back. He gave Keith one last look before he turned on his heel and strode back to the ship, disappearing up the ramp.

The ramp retracted, and the doors slid shut. It took a few minutes for the thrusters to power up and the ship rose from the sand, taking off across the desert before it rose into the atmosphere and disappeared from sight.

Shiro’s fingers wrapped around his own. Keith smiled at him and Shiro nodded towards the house, pulling him back towards the steps. Keith let out a relieved breath once the door shut behind them, feeling something finally uncurl in his chest. The air shimmered and Cosmo appeared at his side. He smiled and ran his fingers through his fur.

“Hey buddy, where were you hiding out during all of that? I’m sure the Paladins would’ve loved to see you, you know,” Keith said, trying to make his voice light.

Cosmo whined and pressed into his fingers.

Shiro tugged him into the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling Keith into his lap as Cosmo settled down in the corner. He wrapped his arms around his waist and squeezed him closer, burying his face between his shoulders.

“Shiro, is everything okay?” Keith asked, feeling worry wrap around his heart. He tried to turn to get a glimpse of Shiro’s face, but he was kept in place by the arms around him.

“I’m sorry, Keith, I…for a second there when I came into the kitchen and saw you with another Shiro-with the Shiro from your universe-I was so worried that you were going to leave. I was so scared that I was going to lose you again. And I don’t…I don’t know what I would’ve done. I wouldn’t have been able to let you go.”

Keith wiggled around in his hold, fighting against the press of Shiro’s arms until he was straddling Shiro’s lap. He framed Shiro’s face between his hands and smiled, trying to ease whatever negative feelings were pulling his thoughts in the wrong direction.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered. “I love you, Shiro. I’ve loved every moment that I’ve gotten to spend with you here. You were right when you said I’ve smiled and laughed so much more since I’ve been here. I was never so happy back home. Not once I realized I was going to feel alone for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel alone,” Shiro swore, eyes shining with emotion as he searched his gaze.

Keith smiled and rubbed his thumbs along Shiro’s cheeks. “I know. And I won’t. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be full of so much love and happiness that I might be ready to burst. My friends can come and visit anytime they want now that they have a ship that can travel from one universe to another. And maybe I can visit them soon enough once the proper ships have been built here. But I definitely wouldn’t trade the life I have now with you for anything else. This is everything that I want. You’re everything I want; not the old Shiro and not my old life, just you.”

Shiro’s gaze turned watery and he pressed his eyes closed, letting out a long, shaky breath. He tightened his grip around Keith’s waist. “I-Keith, I-“

“I love you,” Keith murmured. “I love you, Shiro. And there’s nothing that’s going to take me away. Never again. I promise. I’m going to stay with you for as long as I can. I want to spend forever with you.”

“I love you, too, Keith,” Shiro breathed. “I love you so much. Please promise me that I can wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life.”

“I promise, Shiro,” Keith said. “Because I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Shiro pressed forward and brought their lips together in a deep kiss, needing it as much as he needed oxygen to breath. Keith sighed and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, clutching to him just as tightly and feeling like he’d just reached peak velocity before cutting the engine of his ship and dropping into a freefall.

He’d finally found his place in the universe.

All of the missing pieces in his chest slid into place. He was whole. He was happy. And that was all that mattered. Here and now with Shiro was all he would ever need.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated!
> 
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